Brian McKay rode out Hurricane Joaquin in the back seat of an old Nissan Pathfinder. McKay, like many residents on Rum Cay, sat and waited as 140-mile-per-hour winds ripped through their homes and storm surges poured in.

“I was in the house, and the wind was blowing and I could see stuff was flying horizontally outside,” McKay told The Guardian on Saturday. “The walls were moving and the windows were rattling and I said to myself, ‘I have to get out of here’. That’s when I ran out in the storm into the back of the Pathfinder.”

The eye of Joaquin moved over Rum Cay on Friday, pounding the island of about 70 residents for many hours.

McKay said he spent nine hours in the Pathfinder.

“I just sat there and watched it,” he said. “I watched the storm. It was incredible. There was a whiteout at times. It was like a locomotive.”

McKay was among the first residents The Guardian met with on Rum Cay on Saturday. He was pleased to see that island MP and Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis had brought supplies to assist residents in need.

“The supplies are great, but we are going to need a lot more,” McKay said.

Farther inland, in the Port Nelson community, downed power lines and poles blocked the roads. The community was a scene of hardship and destitution. There was no electricity and no communication with the outside world. Many residents had their earthly possessions outside, drying in the sun.

George Gaitor was among them. Gaitor was moving items outside his home to dry when Davis and his team, including Bahamas Electricity Corporation Chairman Leslie Miller, rode into town. Gaitor made sure they saw inside the house. Outside, a washing machine, mattress, sofa, chairs and a table were strewn.

“This is finished,” he said, pointing inside his home.

There was mud all over his floor. A part of his ceiling was damp and another part had fallen in. The walls were soft and wet.

“The water was up to the bed,” he said. “I have to stay by my little restaurant now. We are just trying to clean up and find a place to stay right now. I feel like jumping on something and going and never returning to Rum Cay. I’ve had this house for almost 23 years. I’ve lived on Rum Cay all my life, but I feel like jumping on a boat or a plane and never returning.”

Six women sat inside Gaitor’s restaurant.

Roseline Bethel said she fled her home in the middle of the storm after it started to flood.

“We had water rise up from underneath the floor,” she said.

She had to wade through waist-deep water and jump into her brother-in-law’s truck.

“It was frightening because I can’t swim,” she said. “On the way to the shelter we picked up my pastor, my husband and son and the pastor’s daughter. People here are devastated because we’ve never experienced anything like this. Everyone lost something.”

Gloria Bain was standing in the middle of her living room shielding her eyes from the sun. Joaquin took part of her roof off, exposing the home to wind, rain and, oddly enough, soldier crabs. Bain rode out the front end of the storm inside her home, located a short distance from Gaitor’s. But she fled to her sister’s home across the street when the eye passed over Rum Cay. Once the storm passed, she saw that half of the roof in her home was gone.

“When I saw it, I thought I could have been dead,” Bain said. “It was so bad.”

Walking inside her home, she pointed to her possessions thrown about, a shirt here, a book there.

“This is devastating,” she said. “I just have to cope with whatever the situation is until I get some assistance or do what I can. But thank God for life. I’m still alive.”

Ann Strachan, who is in charge of the island’s command center, manned the designated storm shelter at St. Christopher’s Anglican Church. But during the storm, Strachan said she had to make the decision to leave the church after it started to flood.

“We called the BEC technician here asking him to help us and he informed us that he was about to come to us because his house was flooding,” she said. “We told him not to come here but to go to the clinic. We told him to then bring his diesel truck to the church to relocate the elderly to the clinic.”

Some 40 people ended up riding out the storm at the local clinic, she said.

“My home is the teacher’s cottage and we weren’t able to get to it,” she said.

“But I understand that five feet of water was in there. I understand that my back door blew in and the windows blew in, and the mud is in there. So I am not really looking forward to that.”

Davis delivered much-needed supplies to Strachan and her team at the clinic, including water, canned goods and flashlights, among other things.

Gro Nilsson, who was riding around the community in her off-road cart, said it was disheartening to see the damage.

“We survived a category four storm and I feel we can do anything now,” she said.

Davis walked around the island, noting the destruction of the government dock and several restaurants.

“We care for these people,” he said, promising to bring further supplies to the island.

San Salvador

After a 10-minute flight from Rum Cay, Davis and his team landed in San Salvador and were greeted by a large pile of debris at the airport in Cockburn Town. Residents clamored, seemingly curious about Davis’ arrival. A reported 200 people were still in shelters, unable to go back home. Downed power lines littered the roads. The power station for the island had its roof caved in, exposing the generators to the rain.

Leslie Miller said while the generators can be repaired, restoring the building may take some time.

“The residents here may be without power for at least two weeks, maybe more,” he said, adding that repairs to the station may cost $250,000.

Davis said the government will move quickly to have power restored to the islands as soon as possible.

“I’ve been the representative for these islands from 1992, and this is the worst I’ve seen it,” Davis told The Guardian.

“What is worrying me is… the extent of damage to Club Med. As you know Club Med is the economic engine for that island (San Salvador). Any disruption of their services and business will have a consequential impact on the island community.”

Club Med, a luxury resort located in Cockburn Town, has extensive damage to the roof of its buildings.

Further inland, residents were placing a canvas over their roof to protect it from the elements. Others sat outside and watched as the sun set, bringing darkness to the island. Kevin Williams said the ordeal was “terrible”.

“I was at my mom’s house and we had it pretty rough,” he said. “When the front of the storm came, it was ok, but the tail end was worse. I’ve seen Hurricane Frances and Floyd, but this is the worst I’ve ever seen.”

Williams, the owner of the Riding Rock Marina and Resort, said the resort is badly damaged.

Part of the resort’s roof came off and the generator was damaged during the storm, he said.

“We have about 20 guests coming down on Saturday for a week of diving.

“So right now we don’t know what we’re going to do,” he said.

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